More endorsement for ‘The Copper Tree’ comes from the Times Higher Education UK University of The Year 2012/13, the University of Strathclyde and from Childminder Of The Year, Carol Harris who recommends it at the best book available for children dealing with bereavement.
I could wax lyrical about the inner book and all that but hardly a day goes by when someone tells me how much they would like to write a book. Well, in many respects, it’s never been easier to publish your own.
For over 15 years I have been published by major UK publishing houses who have then sold the rights to my books to many countries from China, US, Indonesia, Greece, Australia and others in between. So the decision to publish my own picturebook - The Copper Tree - a book to help young children come to terms with death and loss – was a big decision – not least because I didn’t want to upset my editors and agent. But this story was deeply personal, a cathartic response to the premature death of my sister in law and I wanted to oversee the creative process and finished product. To some extent this process was probably easier for me since I am an established author but I am a great believer in encouraging everyone to have a go. What’s good enough for Mark Twain, Virginia Wolff, Beatrix Potter, James Joyce, Rudyard Kipling and Charlotte Bronte, to name just a few – is good enough for me. This is not a definitive guide, as such, but one borne out of experience.
So here are some top tips.
Research The Market: Is there an established genre into which your book might fit – or is there a chance you could establish your own? Fifty Shades Of Grey broke new territory in many respects and now many are galloping alongside. Jane Eyre Laid Bare looks set to rattle Bronte bones later this year.
Establish The Team
Editor: Quite a number of freelance editors have previously held positions in major publishing houses. Source one that specialises in the sort of book you are writing. A good editor will oversee the whole work, spot flaws in, and help to tighten the plot, advise on structure and, if necessary, suggest better phrasing and words. Authors, by nature, have an editorial mind to a degree, so comments can lead to lively discussions!
Designer: Similarly, like the editor, a number of designers are now freelance having honed their talents with established publishers. Designers will help with layout and with the cover. Check out the designer’s style – is it in keeping with what you are hoping to achieve? A specialist in Disney style illustrations may not necessarily help a book on erotic fiction for women – or would they?
Find A Printer and Distributor: Lots of stories abound about ‘vanity publishers’ but there are reputable companies out there. I sourced one that, in addition to publishing, would store and distribute, had an established reputation with the major chains and would ship abroad. For a modest monthly fee this means my spare room isn’t stacked out and I can get on with other things rather than search about for jiffy bags.
Nielsen Book Data. Register with these and add in the book details. Authors and publishers who supply Nielsen with new product information “immediately gain visibility for their books on the international market” including Amazon. The resource is available to booksellers, libraries and publishers worldwide.
Proof Reader: Proofs will be supplied by the printer for checking before the final print run goes ahead. An effective proof reader will spot the minor errors that may have been overlooked and also, like the editor, comment on structure and plot. They are the attention to detailers who will make sure the grammar gurus don’t go twittering when the book is out there.
PR and Publicity: This, together with marketing, is highly valuable. A good PR firm will have established contacts, check on lead times with major magazines and newspapers for previews and reviews, liaise with tv, radio and online sites and look for potential news angles and hooks as well as source opportunities such as appearances at literary festivals. Not everyone feels comfortable behind a microphone but no one would object to being Book Of The Week in You magazine.
Marketing: Whereas PR deals primarily with the consumer, marketing agents will focus on the trade and will liaise with retail outlets, wholesalers such as Gardners and Bertrams, which then sell on to Waterstones, Smiths, Amazon, independent book shops and library suppliers. Often PR firms will take on some of the marketing and vice versa. It should be noted that Waterstones is more than a bookseller. They have a highly effective department that helps small publishers and local writers.
Website, tags and keywords: Establishing a website is a great anchor to showcase your work. Reviews and latest news can be featured together with background to the book and details of you as the author. A good web designer will not only advise on style but also research the keywords and tags that will help your title leap out in a google search.
Foreign rights: My foreign rights agent sold the rights to The Copper Tree within six weeks of publication to Korea and Thailand and there is more interest from other countries as I write. With stands and meetings arranged at major bookfairs such as Frankfurt, Bologna and London, foreign rights agents can be the icing on the cake in the sense that the selling of rights to other countries can help to undercut the unit costs.
Consultants: Even though my picturebook was a work of fiction I was dealing with a real and sensitive issue – grief and loss in terms of how it can affect children. The book was also, in a sense, designed to help parents, teachers and carers as well. I write from instinct but I asked bereavement consultants, psychologists, families and teachers to consider my work and I took on board their comments.
Finally don’t lost faith. It might be necessary to maintain the day job and it may be foolish to invest life savings but with careful management and constant monitoring publishing your own book can be an exciting and rewarding venture.
When my sister in law, Caroline, a much loved primary school teacher died, at the age of 39, after a long battle with cancer, I thought about the children she had taught and what she had shared with them and it was cathartic for me, as a children’s author, to write about her.
I had been inspired by the initiative at the local hospice, St Gemmas, who had constructed a Tree Of Life on to which bereaved relatives could hang a copper leaf inscribed with the name of a loved one who’d died, and, motivated by the powerful effects of memory as means of healing, my book, The Copper Tree, was born initially just for our family but seven years later I decided to publish it and make it widely available for everyone.
When writing the book I considered three main objectives. Firstly, to include people, rather than animals, as main characters; secondly, to consider closely every word and phrase – a friend had told me that, as a small child, when her grandmother died of a stroke she had been worried about stroking her own cat – and thirdly, to avoid whimsical notions of heaven. I bore in mind gentle conversations I’d had with my young daughters as they asked about their aunt’s illness and how I thought about how I had encouraged them to think of all that they had learned from, and shared with her for that would sustain them through their more difficult days.
‘The Copper Tree’ developed into a warm and gentle story of a small group of young school children who are encouraged to prepare for, and come to terms with, the subsequent death of their teacher, Miss Evans. Sprinkled with light hearted moments, I revised core elements of the text after seeking advice from bereaved families, from teachers and bereavement specialists and I considered the simple needs of young children exploring the feelings of grief and loss for what might be the first time.
In ‘The Copper Tree’ and after a period of reflection, the children are encouraged to think about all that Miss Evans has shared with them – or taught them. These memories are then inscribed on to copper leaves and fixed on to a copper tree as a reminder of her lasting legacy.
Since the book was published we have been moved by just how helpful it is proving to be. The teacher, in a sense, represents a member of the family but also represents a friend or even a pet as for many children this can be the first time that they have to face up to the experience of grief.
A few days ago someone asked me what I would choose to inscribe on a copper leaf in memory of Caroline. After careful thought I said her smile – for it mirrored her enthusiasm for life and she lives on too through the book for her optimism in general helped me find the courage to release the book for the benefit of others.
THE COPPER TREE (ISBN 978 0 9571245 0 9) by Hilary Robinson and Mandy Stanley is published by Strauss House Productions